Natural Hair 101

Thinking about going natural? Are you a naturalista and struggling to take care of your tresses? Are you a momma of a curly girl and wondering how to manage those crazy coils? Maybe you’ve seen someone with a foxy fro and are curious how they take care of it. Here are the basics to natural hair & care.

Before I dig in, there are a couple of terms that may be useful to know:

Natural Hair Glossary

Go Natural: no longer using chemicals such as a relaxer on your hair and embracing your naturally curly hair a.k.a. rocking the hair God gave youRelaxer: chemical straightener – it is permanentCo-Wash: washing your hair with conditioner onlyTransitioning: The phase when you’re moving from chemically straightened hair to natural hair. When you stop relaxing your hair, your roots will be curly but your ends will be straight.BC (Big Chop): skipping the transitioning phase and chopping off all your relaxed hairTWA: Teeny weeny afro. What you have left after a big chop.Creamy Crack: see relaxerNo-poo: just like co-wash- not using shampoo because of sulfatesProtective Styling: Natural hair when dry (so always) is very brittle and breaks easily. Protective styling such as braids, twists, extensions, wig, etc., helps prevent breakage by lessening the everyday manipulation from combing, wind, heat, and other various elements.Slip: when your hair is smooth and silky enough to run your fingers or comb throughTwist Out: A protective style. Like braiding your hair but with 2 strands.Wash n’ Go: A quick and easy way to style your hair. Wash it, add curl holding product and go.Shrinkage: your hair is longest when it is wet or straight. When it dries, it curls up and takes about 50% of your length with it.
Shrinkage is real.Hair type/curl pattern: What is this 3a/3b/3c 4a/4b/4c nonsense? Simply, it’s a classification of your curls. Once you know your type, you can find out what products and methods work for you. It’s possible to have more than one type. The front of my hair is 3c and the back is 4a. (Notice that the further up the scale you go, the more shrinkage you have.)

Natural hair NEEDS oil, moisture, and hydration.

Okay, now you know some hair care terms. What’s next? Routine. Whatever products/methods you choose to use, create a daily/weekly/monthly regimen. A good place to start is Cleanse – Moisture – Seal.

Cleanse: Depending on your hair type/curl pattern, you must limit the number of times you wash it. That could be washing it anywhere from once every few weeks to once a day. Your hair produces healthy natural oils and washing it with shampoo everyday strips your tresses of all things good. That is the purpose of the sulfates in shampoo. To get around this, many will co-wash or skip the shampoo. Look for products that are sulfate free. Use a t-shirt instead of a towel to dry your hair to reduce frizz. Because of the dryness of my hair, I normally wash my hair every day/every other day with conditioner only, then add curl styling & moisturizing products. Lately, I’ve been taking a page from the DevaCurl playbook and rinsing out 80% of the conditioner and leaving the rest as a leave-in. I use shampoo only when my hair is in need of a deep cleaning. Some days I do a wash n’ go, I just stick my head under the faucet to reactivate my curls and move onto the moisturizer. Your wash routine depends on your hair type/curl pattern.

Moisture: Once you’ve washed your hair, time to add moisturizing goodness. Essentials to have on hand: oil, leave in conditioner, styling cream/moisturizer. A good moisturizer has water as the first or second ingredient. Look for products that are made specifically for natural African American hair. I am really enjoying the Shea Moisture line and find that it works for my hair.

Deep Condition: Sometimes your hair just needs a boost. Set aside 1-2 days a month to deep condition your hair. Make a concoction from eggs, avocado, and any of the aforementioned oils. There are many deep conditioning recipes that uses ingredients you already have at home. Right now I use Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque.

What you need: deep conditioner/homemade masque, shower cap, comb, clips, spray bottle
1. Wash Hair
2. Part hair into 4-6 sections (depending on thickness)
3. Wet hair with spray bottle and work treatment in section by section, paying special attention to ends.
4. Cover with shower cap and let sit for half hour.
5. Rinse out and style as usual.
For an intense treatment, heat up the product or sit under a blow dryer with your shower cap.

Bedtime:Moisturize – Protective Style – Cover

Moisturize: add some cream or shea butter.Protective Style: pineapple, twist out, bantu knots or braiding. This helps prevent tangling and matting of the hair which leads to breakage.Cover: cover with a silky scarf or satin bonnet. Use a satin pillow case because cotton pillow cases cause breakage.